Skin Absorption information please

[LadyGuinevere]

First off, I am new here. I am writing an article about what can and what cannot pass through the skin. I have a friend who claims that things like fabric softener can pass through our skin and things like that. I want true evidence about this type of stuff so that I can help her and me know these things. I cannot find any direct, and in layman's terms, information about this. Can someone point me in the right direction or give me the information so that I can pass this on in my article?
If you would like to go to my blog to see where I am coming from and going in this you can visit it here: http://thefeastbeforeyou.blogspot.com/2011/05/eat-your-food.html

[LadyGuinevere]

Do I not have this is the right forum? It would be in several topics so that is why I chose to put it here.

[BDDVM]

Well the whole idea of skin is to keep what's in in and what's out out. Intact skin is a barrier to most substances but there are exceptions. DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) is notorious for it's ability to pass through skin like it's not even there.
Water retention is very important so most of the skin barrier is hydrophobic (oily, repells water) Keratin protien makes up the outermost skin layer and is the primary barrier to water. If you scratch through this surface layer it emediately feels wet as water( and lots of water soluble stuff) can now escape.
The fine structure of the skin determines what can and can't penetrate.
If you are unfamilliar with the following terms it might help to look them up. Dermis, Epidermis, tight junction, keratin, keratinocyte.

[LadyGuinevere]

Well the whole idea of skin is to keep what's in in and what's out out. Intact skin is a barrier to most substances but there are exceptions. DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) is notorious for it's ability to pass through skin like it's not even there.
Water retention is very important so most of the skin barrier is hydrophobic (oily, repells water) Keratin protien makes up the outermost skin layer and is the primary barrier to water. If you scratch through this surface layer it emediately feels wet as water( and lots of water soluble stuff) can now escape.
The fine structure of the skin determines what can and can't penetrate.
If you are unfamilliar with the following terms it might help to look them up. Dermis, Epidermis, tight junction, keratin, keratinocyte.

I know what the terms mean. I have a friend that tells me that fabric softener and such can and do cause cancer because they can get into our skin. I know some things do get into our skin such as those medical patches for quitting smoking and birth control. So how small are those molecules that can pass through the skin barrier?